Many devices exist that are related to fishing and are designed to improve the fishing enthusiast's success in catching fish. These devices relate to various aspects of fishing reels, rods and hooks. A fishing enthusiast may encounter difficulty when trying to regulate tension on the fishing line prior to reeling in the line. In addition, the fisherman may not be able to secure the correct amount of tension based on the size and type of fishing rod he is using or the environmental conditions under which he is fishing. When the fishing reel is in free spool, the line extends freely without any restraint. In this situation, there is no tension on the line to prevent free spooling until a fish strikes the lure attached to the end of the fishing line. Once the fish strikes the lure, it is necessary to have no tension on the line and to allow free spooling to occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,830 to Henry discloses a device and method wherein the device is intended to be clipped onto a fishing rod and to impart action to the line emanating from an open-face spinning reel while reeling in the line. The Henry device imparts action on the lure while retrieving the line.
This prior art device and method, however, have various drawbacks. The Henry device teaches a line rest portion which is an integral, static unit made of rigid material. Further, Henry teaches a method for imparting action to a fishing line upon retrieval of the line. It is not designed to prevent free spooling. Thus, it is for a totally different use. The present invention addresses the deficiencies of this prior art design in that it provides a fishing line free spooling regulation system that is made of resilient material and is passive when reeling in the line. The present invention may be used with a variety of different types of fishing reels.